


take my hand, come back to the land

by notthebigspoon



Series: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea [1]
Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Character Death Fix, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-29
Updated: 2012-07-29
Packaged: 2017-11-11 00:25:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/472394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notthebigspoon/pseuds/notthebigspoon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Clint is a poor partner and a poor pet owner but everyone loves him anyway.</p><p>Title taken from Stripped by Depeche Mode.</p>
            </blockquote>





	take my hand, come back to the land

“How long has it been since you've slept?”

Two and a half days. But Clint doesn't say that out loud. Instead he starts gnawing on another red vine and takes a swig of the skittles vodka he'd raided from Tony's liquor closet. He's sitting on the edge of Stark Tower, staring at the city lights and he knows how this probably looks. He also knows that the person standing behind him knows better than to leap to conclusions.

There's barely audible footsteps and there's a thump as the person settles down next to him. Clint stares at the harbor in the distance and surrenders the bottle of vodka when it's removed from his hand. There's a clink as it's put down and then a warm arm lays across Clint's shoulders. He leans into it, eyes clenched shut as he shakes his head.

“How'd you know I was up here?”

“Tony was testing the new suit. He thought maybe someone should come check on you and you know him. He wasn't about to do it himself. Insulted?”

“Nah. Relieved. Does he want his booze back?”

Steve laughs, low and warm. “Yes, yes he does. But if you'll get up and come inside now, I won't take it with me.”

“Deal.”

He pushes back from the edge of the tower, leaning back on Steve as he slides his legs down. He's just drunk enough to be unsteady on his feet and he accepts the assistance without fuss. The booze he holds onto himself, not quite trusting Steve not to change his mind and confiscate it from him. True to his word, however, when Clint has finally been dumped into bed and his shoes removed, Steve makes no attempts to take the bottle away with him.

“Clint.”

“Mm?”

“You're not doing yourself any favors.”

“I don't ask anyone else for favors, not going to ask myself for any either.”

“He's okay. He's woken up. He's going to recover.”

“I know. Jarvis told me.”

“Then why aren't you there? Everyone else has been there, why not you?” Steve snaps, and he sounds angrier than he's ever been with Clint, angry in a way he only gets with Tony when he refuses to take something seriously.

“He has you guys. He has his hero. Bet he was thrilled to see you, Cap.”

Steve just makes a disgusted noise, taking the bottle from Clint's hand and glaring at him. “The only reason I'm not dragging you down there right now is because you're drunk and your husband deserves better. Sleep it off. Natasha is taking you to SHIELD medical in the morning to see him.”

Clint decides he must be far drunker than he thought, because when Steve leaves his room, Tony is waiting by the door and there is a decidedly tender kiss that is uncharacteristic of one Anthony E. Stark. He doesn't get to be disturbed for very long before passing out with his face shoved into his pillow.

***

“I can't go in there.”

“I don't see where you've been given a choice.”

“Nat...”

Clint swallows hard, chewing on his lip until the coppery taste of blood fills his mouth. He can see Phil. His skin is far too pale and he's frighteningly thin but it's _Phil_. His husband is living and breathing and... filling out paperwork. Clint clamps a hand over his mouth, stifling a sound that might be a laugh or a sob.

“It's just supply requisitions.” Natasha murmurs, squeezing Clint's arm. “He was getting bored and wanted to do something useful. Tony made a list of things we wanted, just to see if he would do it. He said no but when Tony actually gave him a stack of paperwork, he was all in.”

“What if he's mad at me? He knows what I did.”

“You didn't do it, Loki did it. Now go in there. He's been awake for two weeks. He wants to see you.”

Since this morning, Clint has had zero choices in his life. He was woken up when Jarvis decided he should be awake, Natasha had picked his clothes, Thor had given him pop tarts for breakfast and he'd been hauled out the door before he was ready. The door of the ICU room slides open when Natasha pushes the button and he's shoved through, stumbling and almost landing on his knees. He grips the edge of the bed to keep himself upright.

“Captain Rogers tells me you haven't been feeding the dog.” Coulson says, not looking up from his paperwork. Clint chokes out a laugh. 

“He wouldn't let me come near him until two days ago. He follows Steve everywhere, even sleeps in his room at the tower. Besides... why would I feed him?”

“I know I'm the one who usually ends up feeding him, but Biscuit is your dog, Barton. Corgis like people as neurotic as they are.”

Clint flinches. Phil only calls him Barton when they're in the field, around the other Avengers or when they're working. So he is in trouble.

“I...” Clint says, but he flounders, lost and unsure how to describe it.

“I'm not angry you haven't come. I know why you didn't. That's what I'm angry about, why you didn't. You weren't responsible for any of this, directly or indirectly. Loki was. And Thor told me this morning that Loki was being dealt with.”

Clint moves to sit on the edge of the bed, managing laying a hand over the paperwork to stop Phil working. “Steve said I was being a bad husband.”

“You kind of were.” Phil says, sitting back and lacing their hands together. “You're wearing your ring.”

“Haven't taken it off since they told me you were still alive. Well, Jarvis told me. I let Tony move our stuff into the apartment after Thor took Loki back to Asgard. And then I kind of locked everyone out and refused to see them.”

“... you let Stark move us into Stark Tower?”

“It's a nice apartment with a good view and Jarvis won't override the locks without a really good reason. Like me getting hammered on the balcony. And the bed? _Huge_. Going to need some breaking in.”

Phil closes his eyes and shakes his head, sinking back into the bed. Clint pushes the over bed table away, smiling just a little when Phil pushes the button for the morphine drip. He lifts his legs onto the bed, carefully balancing himself on the edge and pulling Phil against his chest.

“I will live there because I love you, Clint, but I won't pretend to like it.” Phil says, voice slurring from the morphine as his eyes droop shut.

“Captain America is your neighbor. You're going to love it.”


End file.
